


The World of Rivers and Lakes

by chromemuffin



Series: The Poppy War Xianxia AU [1]
Category: The Poppy War - R. F. Kuang
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, M/M, Revenge Plot, Xianxia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-06-29 08:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15725670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chromemuffin/pseuds/chromemuffin
Summary: War blooms like spring blossoms and heroes fall like autumn leaves but brotherhood, like the lotus flower, rises from a lake of worldly affairs.The Xuan Zhu Sect, a demonic sect confined to the highest peak of the Wudang Mountains, is home to the last of Nikara’s cultivators – practitioners who refine the energies of nature within themselves and thereby defy the laws of heaven. Fei Ting, the fifth disciple of the sect leader, leaves the mountain for the first time in thirteen years to help his shijie avenge her family.





	1. A tree may grow a thousand zhang high

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in the same universe as my other story, _Under Heaven's Law_ , except with more xianxia elements than xuanhuan ones.
> 
> **Terms of Address:**
> 
> Note: Chinese terms of address, especially in sects, refer to everyone as brothers and sisters, but rarely are they actually related.
> 
> • Xiong: 'Elder brother', refers to a male older than you.  
> • Shixiong: 'Senior disciple brother', refers to a male disciple of the same sect or master who has more seniority than you.  
> • Shidi: 'Junior disciple brother', refers to a male disciple younger or with less seniority than you.  
> • Dashixiong: 'Eldest senior disciple brother', refers your master's first disciple.  
> • Shijie: 'Senior disciple sister', refers to a female disciple with more seniority than you.  
> • Shimei: 'Junior disciple sister', refers to a female disciple younger or with less seniority than you.  
> • Dage: 'Eldest brother' or 'big brother'.  
> • Ge/Gege: 'Big brother', an affectionate term.  
> • Xiao-: A term of affection, means 'little', used as a prefix to a name.  
> • -er: A term of affection used more commonly in the north, acts as a suffix to a name.

### The World of Rivers and Lakes[1]

**Chapter 1: A tree may grow a thousand zhang high…**

 

**Xuan Zhu Sect, Qian Yao Peak, Wudang Mountains**

 

The clear ring of clashing swords rippled through the clouds. A flock of sparrows alighted with a soft flurry of wings and faded into the brocade of white engulfing Qian Yao Peak. The air near the summit of the highest point of the Wudang Mountains was difficult to breathe and known to sap the strength out of even the strongest warriors, yet two youths could be seen crossing swords in an isolated courtyard. They flew across the stones as if the wind itself was beneath their feet, like two young birds dancing in the clouds.

Fei Ting was passing through the verandas to reach the storehouses behind the northern hall when he heard the clash of swords and energized shouts that disturbed the birds surrounding this remote courtyard. Even the magnolias were battered by the force of their strikes. A scowl darkened his features for a heartbeat before he changed direction and swept the expression away in the same breath he used to realign himself towards the fight.

A few seconds before Fei Ting’s firm and sharp voice rang out, the two younger boys saw his dark figure approaching and instantly ended their conflict. They flitted to his position to greet him, eyes faintly wavering as their shixiong admonished them.

“Fei Gui, Fei Mo!” Despite the harshness of his voice, Fei Ting’s expression was exceptionally cold like ice upon frost.

The fifth disciple of Xuan Zhu Sect’s leader, Fei Ting, was known for this unapproachable and stiff personality. His body was thin-looking, never gaining enough weight to satisfy the sect’s physician, but it did not hinder his cultivation or forceful manner in any significant way. Fei Gui and Fei Mo, for as long as they had lived on Qian Yao Peak, never witness any person, object, or event that could move their fifth shixiong beyond a mild sense of disappointment or irritation.

“Shixiong!” Hands folded in front of them, the two bowed in greeting.

Fei Gui and Fei Mo were his juniors by at least four years. Their rounded faces and petulant frowns marked them as mere children who had no business disturbing the morning tranquility with such a violent altercation. Only after a brief shadow of resentment passed did their heads incline further and their eyes soften with guilt. Suddenly ashamed and remorseful, they deepened their bows and lowered their voices. No matter how bitter or wronged they felt, fifth shixiong was not someone they could argue with. His gaze, distant as the stars and moon, narrowed slightly as they admitted their wrongs.

“Just now, this disciple violated sect rules and quarreled with a fellow sect member. Whatever shixiong decides is an acceptable punishment, I can only accept it.”

“I, Fei Mo, am guilty of the same and will accept shixiong’s decision.”

Their fifth shixiong turned his head to the northern hall, lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at the vague forms of buildings stretching around the mountainside.

“Kneel in the Moon Pillar Courtyard until noon, then assist your Shaming-shijie in copying texts. If you finish early, kneel in front of the northern hall to reflect until the sun sets. And tomorrow, you can explain to dashixiong how personal quarrels are more important than his morning readings.”

Although Fei Gui and Fei Mo wore anguished and unwilling expressions, they bowed their heads to accept their punishment without further complaints. To object to fifth shixiong’s decision would earn them a beating. Even if it was truly unfair and unjust, they had only themselves to blame for breaking the rules for a petty matter. Wisely, they kept their heads lowered as they retreated.

The courtyard returned to its former state, the magnolias swaying with the wind as a fine mist settled over the worn stones and faded pillars. Fei Ting, dressed in black cross-collar robes, was the sole blemish on this peaceful place that looked like the residence of an Immortal cultivating amongst the clouds.

“What a cruel shixiong!” A thin voice emerged from the quiet, reclusive atmosphere as a young man stepped out from the shade of the veranda, sweeping along in loose robes of white and blue. He was tall and thin with a refined and gentle smile, pale lips, and overly graceful movements like a posturing crane. Not a single soul on Qian Yao Peak would dare describe the first disciple of the sect leader with such disrespect, but Fei Ting had always thought of him as such.

“‘Children won’t learn unless you let them taste the bitterness of life from time to time,’” Fei Ting scoffed, crossing his arms and facing the older man with narrowed eyes. “Dashixiong _,_ you were the one who taught me this.”

“And Ting-er has learned well, dashixiong is very proud. Mo-er and Gui-er are young and foolish, but with such teachings even they will become eminent cultivators someday!” These utterly insincere words dressed in a playful and affectionate tone were unbearably ridiculous. But after so many years of listening to his dashixiong flit about pretending that they were all righteous cultivators, Fei Ting was more than used to ignoring him. If it amused him to act like this, then so be it.

“Did you need something from the storehouses, dashixiong?” Fei Ting asked.

His dashixiong walked into the courtyard, steps firm and steady.

Liu Zhiying was unassuming despite his elegant bearing, his lively features not overly excitable and his solemnity not too profound. Fei Ting’s personal observations aside, it was objectively difficult to find fault in any piece of him except for his eyes, which were murky and marbled with colors like a dull amber tortoiseshell. He never bothered closing them to set others at ease and laughed if he happened to notice anyone actively trying to avoid facing him.

Liu Zhiying stopped and beckoned Fei Ting to cross the rest of the distance between them. Fei Ting obeyed, walking close enough for Liu Zhiying to grasp the edge of sleeve after a two failed attempts. Fei Ting waited for him to succeed, not eager to receive a scolding or a pinch on the ear.

“Ting-er, you are my shidi, naturally there should be no secrets between us.” Although this voice was mild like a warm spring breeze, Fei Ting flinched. Liu Zhiying felt the ripple of unease through the light touch on his sleeves and laughed at Fei Ting’s expense. He grasped at the air for a moment before catching hold of Fei Ting’s wrist and wrapping his hand in a firm grip. “I remember when this hand of yours was so tiny it could fit in my own with ease. Look at how much you have grown!”

Fei Ting’s pale lips twitched. He did not like reminders of the period in his life when he had been so weak that the world did not even have to trample too hard to crush him beneath its weight. He had been so helpless that he could not even live this close to the peak without withering away. Liu Zhiying had descended from the main compound to a small rest house built near a deep cave further down the peak. His dashixiong had taken care of him and his mother while she breathed her last in the meager comfort they could offer her.

He barely remembered her face, but even if he forgot everything else, he would never forget these warm hands wrapped around his own.

“Allow me to apologize, dashixiong,” Fei Ting murmured as he bowed his head. Liu Zhiying could not tell until he reached up to ruffle his hair, then laughed softly when he gauged the distance. “I did not inform you of my rise in cultivation. I have been remiss.”

Liu Zhiying shook his head, loose black hair spilling down his chest like fine brushstrokes.

“All is forgiven.” Liu Zhiying tugged on his wrist and led them out of the courtyard, not once hesitating as they turned towards the veranda that climbed up the steep cliffs to the northern side of the mountain. He tilted his head slightly behind him as they walked. “Now that you have broken through the sixth layer of qi refining, you are permitted to leave the mountain. Did you perhaps delay out of nervousness?”

Fei Ting shook his head, remembering to utter a noise of disagreement. He stared at Liu Zhiying’s back and paid no attention to the path ahead of them as his dashixiong continued to drag him forward.

When he had reached his breakthrough a few days prior, the instant surge of strength through his meridians almost made him collapse. After spending hours suppressing it through meditation and other tasks to narrow his focus and settle the flow of qi, it dwindled in intensity and became an energetic hum concentrated just below the surface of his skin. However, when he had tried to manipulate it through his body for a simple sword strike the next day, that accumulated power spun wildly out of control.

Liu Zhiying came to a sudden stop. Fei Ting halted before he crashed into his dashixiong’s back and narrowed his eyes a fraction as he waited for Liu Zhiying to explain himself. The young man turned around, released his hand, and touched him gently on the cheek instead, forcing him to lift his head until he was staring into murky brown eyes that, at most, saw nothing more than a dark blotch where Fei Ting was standing.

Fei Ting’s skin tingled, but he did not dare squirm out of Liu Zhiying’s strong grip on his face.

“Whatever it is that concerns you, your dashixiong will do his best to help you overcome. But you must share that burden first; only then can you receive help.”

Fei Ting hesitated only for a moment before he told him about the instability in his meridians.

“When I wield my sword, I now fear that I cannot predict its outcome,” he confessed. “I do not trust myself to descend the mountain until I can control it completely.”

“You are right. You cannot descend the mountain in your current state,” Liu Zhiying nodded. He transferred his grip to Fei Ting’s wrist again and carefully took his pulse. After a few quiet minutes filled only by the distant sounds of running streams and birds flying in the clouds, Liu Zhiying withdrew his hands. “This is a natural part of advancing to a higher level of cultivation. I also experienced a similar phenomenon in the past. Let us consult with Physician Zhou, he will be able to diagnose it better than myself.”

Fei Ting’s dark eyes stirred as he carefully maintained his impassive expression. It should have been a given that dasixiong also experienced a few setbacks when he was younger. A cultivator who never experienced a bottleneck or some instability of their qi could probably not be called human. No matter how strong or dependable Liu Zhiying was, he was not without faults.

“Then I will have to trouble dashixiong.”

“Not at all,” Liu Zhiying laughed as they continued their slow ascent. “You must be in your best condition to leave the mountain. Trouble or no trouble, this is one of my duties as the eldest disciple left on Qian Yao Peak. You can repay me by listening to my advice when we leave. And then, I will be the one troubling my shidi.”

Fei Ting hummed. They played along with each other’s act, but they both knew that he only said this to give his shidi some face.

Liu Zhiying had survived without anyone to be his eyes for over twenty years, five of those spent living on Nikara’s cutthroat streets. Even though the Xuan Zhu Sect had accepted him as a disciple, this was not an orphanage or a place that indulged in charity. If the boy they had stolen from the streets of the capital was deemed a burden at any time, he would not have been permitted to remain here even if it meant sending him back to live in the gutters.

Fei Ting, on the other hand, did not have the strength to continue on his own if not for the Xuan Zhu Sect. No matter how much resentment he held, it did not change the fact that his parents had been executed and any family remaining on his father’s side would want nothing to do with him. His mother, who had been an itinerant member of the Xuan Zhu Sect since her childhood, only had enough time to send word to her master and fellow disciples. If they had failed to find them, Fei Ting would have perished within a few days of his mother’s passing.

And even now, at the age of seventeen, he still could not stand on his own.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Physician Zhou lifted his folding fan as if to unfurl it in his usual scholarly manner. At the height of its trajectory, he instead delivered a sharp hit to Fei Ting’s head.

Fei Ting bit back a shout as he leapt off the wooden stool with narrowed eyes. He shuffled toward the door, shoulders tense and hands poised at his sides. Before he made it more than halfway across the room, Liu Zhiying reached out and grasped his sleeve on the second try, using it to quickly reel him in closer. Fei Ting stumbled and lurched as his forearm was seized in a crushing grip that felt like it could grind his bones to dust on the spot. Liu Zhiying was only using his non-dominant left hand, too.

After realizing and accepting the fact that there was no escape, Fei Ting settled back on the wooden stool and cast Physician Zhou an icy glare.

“Stupid boy! Does that head of yours still work, or did Zhiying hit you one too many times?” Physician Zhou shook his head as he used his fan to slap Fei Ting on the hands. He removed them from the stool before they were struck, lip curling slightly as Physician Zhou grumbled. “If you kill that stool, you make me a new one.”

Fei Ting glanced down at the lopsided piece of furniture. It was not especially old, but the carving was uneven and the joints unbalanced. Furthermore, several deep nicks and scratches were scattered over it, along with a chip missing on the edge. This shoddy stool was Fei Ting’s creation, which was why he felt especially irritated by Physician Zhou’s words. The man acted as if he cherished this thing, when in reality he had been the first to call it a piece of junk that would see better use as firewood than a stool.

“Arm,” Physician Zhou said. Fei Ting was delayed in registering the word, too busy staring as the man withdrew a green embroidered pouch from a chest of drawers. He jolted as Liu Zhiying grabbed his arm and extended it in front of him.

“Dashixiong,” he protested.

Physician Zhou unrolled the pouch, revealing two rows of long needles with varying widths, some as thin as a strand of hair and others as thick as the shaft of a feather. After lighting a candle, he carefully selected one of the needles and held it over the flame until the thin piece of metal turned bright, warm orange like the setting sun. He set it aside and reached for Fei Ting’s wrist again.

“How many times do you need to be reminded? The time immediately after a breakthrough is when the body is most susceptible to disruptions in the flow of qi through the meridians. You know very well that a cultivator’s body is like a crucible. You should also know that refining the energies of heaven and earth within oneself is extremely dangerous, even slight fluctuations and irregularities can kill you. If meditation alone does not realign the disharmonies, you must seek help.”

Physician Zhou readied the needle and ran his fingers along Fei Ting’s exposed arm. The shining tip hovered for a moment before it slid beneath his skin. After a brief prick of pain, it was over. The needle remained suspended there as a second was prepared.

No matter how bitter Fei Ting felt now, he could not argue with the man. It was his arrogance that led him to believe he could resolve the issue alone. The qi refining stage was one of the lower stages of cultivation. He merely thought that although there were some who experienced setbacks, plenty more passed through them with ease.

However, at its core, cultivation was a severe violation of the laws of nature. That power originally belonged solely to the gods that resided in the heavens and to the earth that gave everything life. Harnessing that chaotic energy without the aid of the soul-altering herbs that shamans once used to connect to the gods was to court death. And the higher one climbed through the levels of cultivation, the higher the risk and effort it took to reach the next level, like swimming upstream of a raging river.

By the end of the treatment, he had seven needles protruding from each arm. As they were withdrawn one after another, spiritual energy flooded his meridians. When Liu Zhiying released him, his arms were as light as feathers.

Fei Ting reluctantly turned to Physician Zhou. The man was neither young nor old. He was not a cultivator whose youth was sustained by refining spiritual energy in their bodies, but as far as Fei Ting knew, he was content to remain in the service of the Xuan Zhu Sect as their resident physician for as long as they had a use for him. Given that he was their only physician as well as one of the few people left in Nikara who had an open enough mind to comprehend the complexities of cultivation without being a cultivator himself, Physician Zhou was an irreplaceable existence.

“I hope Physician Zhou will forgive me for my foolish behavior,” Fei Ting mumbled as he clasped his hands, head barely bowed.

The man scoffed and shoved a small packet of an herbal mixture at him.

“You can lie to anyone, but don’t lie to your physician or yourself. It helps no one, least of all you!” Physician Zhou pointed at the prescription with a sour look on his face. “Take that three times a day for a week. You should be fine to leave after that point, but if you feel any disruption or blockage again, you must inform Zhiying. He knows how to apply the treatment with spiritual energy.”

“I understand,” Fei Ting murmured as he placed the packet into his sleeve and stood up. Liu Zhiying drifted out of the room after him and stifled short bursts of laughter as Fei Ting made a half-hearted effort to leave him behind.

“Don’t sound so worried, shidi!” Liu Zhiying said in a warm, encouraging tone. “Sect Leader Wu taught me the proper method. One day, I will pass the knowledge onto you as well.”

“I will eagerly await that day,” Fei Ting replied woodenly. His gaze was fixed on the path ahead of him and on the worn floorboards descending towards one of the inner courtyards. Liu Zhiying trailed after him, steps leisurely and light compared with Fei Ting’s heavier stride. Dashixiong began to talk about a cultivation manual he was helping their master’s second disciple, Yu Shaming, compile and write to instruct the remaining disciples on Qian Yao Peak during his absence. It was nearly complete after five years of working on it almost nonstop.

Fei Ting was focused on the scene unfolding in the courtyard below. Although the voices were distorted by distance and the cold spring wind whistling through the mountains, Liu Zhiying should have been able to hear them. When Fei Ting glanced at him, however, he was staring at a point in front and towards his feet with an oblivious smile as he rambled about finally binding the manual together tomorrow.

“Am I going to discipline them again or do you want the honor?” Fei Ting asked as they began to descend the creaky steps built into the rough mountainside. Liu Zhiying finally paused, blinking a few times as he tilted his head in the direction of the disciples ‘training’ in the courtyard. Unlike the one located near the southern part of the mountain, the inner courtyards were furnished with a few stone stools and tables. Instead of magnolias, bare peony bushes not yet in bloom decorated the outer edges.

“If shidi is unwilling, I can do it,” Liu Zhiying offered after Fei Ting maintained his silence.

“Please. Go ahead,” Fei Ting said with a silent dip of his head. He stood aside to allow his dashixiong to pass.

In the courtyard, a familiar scene was playing out.

Fei Gui and Fei Mo, as Fei Ting ordered, were kneeling in self-reflection on the stones. Their faces were contorted in concentration and no small degree of anguish, their backs and shoulders nearly trembling. Although spring had finally melted the snow and ice from the buildings’ sloped eaves and the trees’ bare branches, the ground was still partially frozen, the stones layered on top even more so.

Fei Ting could sympathize with their pain somewhat. Liu Zhiying had shoved him onto his knees to reflect on his actions plenty of times, except in those days, punishments were usually accompanied by a beating with the bamboo rod. Yu Shaming had no qualms about the tradition, but Liu Zhiying decided somewhere along the way that a system of heavier and lighter punishments was best.

However, Fei Gui and Fei Mo had a different sort of burden that Fei Ting had thankfully never endured. A child no older than nine was running in circles around the two thirteen-year-olds. He poked one or the other with a wooden sword, at times trying to land a proper hit – or as proper a hit as a child his age was capable of.

“Stop that!” Fei Gui snapped, torn between shouting and keeping his voice low enough so that it didn’t carry on the wind. Anyone who had stayed in the Xuan Zhu Sect’s estate for more than a week knew even the smallest whisper was not always safe. Between dashixiong with his unusually keen sense of hearing and fifth shixiong who possessed barely any presence as he slipped in and out of rooms, keeping secrets here was a dangerous pursuit.

“I’m practicing! I’m not doing anything wrong, unlike you!”

“Listen, you brat! You want me to kick you off this mountain?” Fei Gui growled and twisted around when the wooden sword tapped at the back of his head. “Get over here and let me kill you.”

“You can’t do that! Only the sect leader can kick people off the mountain! Didn’t you read the rules?”

“The rules also state that no one is to interfere with another’s punishment,” Fei Mo said in a clear voice. “It’s supposed to be a time for self-reflection, not to lose one’s temper at the littlest annoyance.”

Fei Ting sighed. Weren’t these words more vicious than Fei Gui’s baseless threats, despite the calm and righteous manner he said them in? Fei Mo was once a cute child, guileless and so easy to fool that Fei Ting almost felt guilty every time he tricked him into taking on extra chores or receiving the blame for Fei Gui’s wrongdoings. It was both their fault and full intention that he became like this, though, so he supposed that there really was nothing to sigh about.

“It’s Liu-dage!” a high, childish voice cried out. A small girl darted out from the shadows of the opposite hall where she had been watching the boys torment each other. She ran straight past the kneeling Fei Gui and Fei Mo, then crashed straight into Liu Zhiying’s legs. Despite how willowy and unsteady he looked from afar, the impact barely affected him. He reached down to pat the girl on the head as she tearfully declared, “Huaiyue was bullying Gui-ge and Mo-ge again! Liu-dage should punish him!”

“Xiao-Fei, did you see what happened?” Liu Zhiying asked with an affectionate smile as he kneeled down. Although his discolored eyes were blank and vaguely unsettling, Fei Fei nodded and met his gaze with a spark of enthusiasm in her own. Maybe she was too young to realize that Liu Zhiying’s habit was disturbing or maybe she just didn’t care, but they made for an odd sight.

“Fei Fei did!” She went into a short tale of what had happened, which everyone could already gather from the scene they had walked in on. Liu Zhiying let her speak until she was satisfied with her report anyways. Fei Ting stepped off the veranda and glared Fei Huaiyue into silence for the duration. When Fei Fei finished, she tugged on Liu Zhiying’s robes. “Liu-dage, Huaiyue did wrong.”

“Indeed he did,” Liu Zhiying nodded. He stood at his full height and turned in the direction of the three boys. Fei Huaiyue’s nervous shuffle alerted him to his exact position. Under their dashixiong's stare, he was no longer haughty and so ready to spout arrogant things. Liu Zhiying, however, did not address him right away. “Gui-er, Mo-er, is what Xiao-Fei said true? You may speak.”

“Yes, dashixiong,” Fei Mo said right away, perhaps a little too quickly. Fei Gui glanced at him with a scowl on his face, but did not dare speak out of turn now. “Gui-xiong was provoked. If Huaiyue did not strike him so many times, would he have broken the rules willingly? Gui-xiong knows the importance of self-reflection, so please be lenient and forgive him this time.”

Fei Gui looked very much like he wanted to throw up. On Fei Mo’s head, preferably.

Fei Ting turned his head away and stared at the carved wooden brackets connecting the beams and pillars that supported the roof.

The Xuan Zhu Sect was originally a sprawling organization of demonic cultivators who had commandeered the Jiao Dong Sect’s territory in the Wudang Mountains. They had flourished for decades before meeting their demise. It was only after the war a millennium and a half ago that the survivors were confined to the upper portion of Qian Yao Peak. Their living quarters had been reduced to a single building that now served as the northern hall. It was pitiful, but the sect leader at the time was a man who had all but given up on life, persisting only for the few disciples who relied on him. For as long as he had lived, that single building was the only one on Qian Yao Peak. The rest of the estate was added on throughout the years following his death.

Although the basic style of the buildings was preserved, the wooden brackets supporting them were decorated according to that generation’s preferences.

No one bothered to learn all six arts anymore, but Fei Ting was educated and had some appreciation for poetry and music. Although architecture was not one of his interests, it was still better to stare at something incomprehensible than ruin Liu Zhiying’s firm scolding with the dry laughter that threatened to bubble out of his chest.

Fei Mo really had learned from their harsh lessons a little too well. He left Fei Gui absolutely no face, probably in retaliation for their punishment. Fei Mo, after all, got into fights often but made sure that he was never the one to start them.

Fei Ting glanced at them. Liu Zhiying had accepted Fei Mo’s ‘gracious’ words and switched targets to Fei Huaiyue, who was bent over and apologizing profusely as Liu Zhiying twisted his ear.

“Ting-ge!” Fei Fei released Liu Zhiying’s robes and ran towards Fei Ting with a happy little smile. She knew better than to hug his leg, instead stopping just short of him while craning her neck to look up at his emotionless face. “Ting-ge is here too?”

He almost rolled his eyes, but nodded and reached out to poke her on the forehead.

“Having fun?” he asked. He wasn’t loud, but the others doubtlessly heard him.

The little girl tugged at the green ribbons wrapped around the bun on her head and blinked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. If Liu Zhiying’s actually reflected his emotions, Fei Ting would have assumed she learned that skill from him. In reality, it was probably Fei Mo who she was imitating. Despite the difference in their ages and the fact that they weren’t related by blood, she was around these boys the most. The Xuan Zhu Sect was quite large, but most of their members were wandering the continent and returned only for important events or when they tired of worldly affairs. These four youngsters were the only ones in their age range at the moment.

“No,” Fei Fei intoned, shaking her head to hide the smile that was tugging at the corners of her lips. “Bullying others isn’t fun!”

Fei Ting looked over to dashixiong and Fei Huaiyue.

“Make sure they behave. If you do, I’ll let you have an extra tangerine after dinner.” Fei Ting would just take Liu Zhiying’s portion to give to her. Liu Zhiying hated sweets anyways, always giving his away to whoever was the most well-behaved.

Fei Fei’s eyes gleamed as she nodded and spun around to return to her perch.

 

* * *

 

Don't take some of the Xuan Zhu Sect's customs and traditions to heart. They are an odd patchwork of a sect. For example, the Fei children are not related despite sharing a surname. They treat the surname like a [generational name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_name) in the Xuan Zhu Sect.

**Footnotes:**

1\. A direct translation of 江湖 ( _jiānghú_ ), referring to areas that fall outside mainstream society. In wuxia, this is the world of martial artists that follows its own rules and codes of honor (sometimes called the 'pugilist world'). Usually excludes cultivators, but in this world they fall under the same label.

The title of the chapter is from the phrase 树高千丈，叶落归根 "a tree may grow a thousand zhang high, but its leaves return to their roots".[return]

**Names:**

For fun, in case you want a good laugh. Credit for half of these goes to ExtraPenguin.

  * Xuan Zhu Sect: 玄珠派
  * Qian Yao Peak: 潜瑶岳
  * Wu Chong (Sect Leader): 武崇
  * Liu Zhiying: 柳智迎
  * Yu Shaming: 余煞命
  * Fei Ting: 费霆
  * Fei Gui: 费鬼
  * Fei Mo: 费魔
  * Fei Huaiyue: 费槐樾
  * Fei Fei: 费非




	2. In the third month's cloud of willow blossoms…

**Chapter 2: In the third month's cloud of willow blossoms…** [1]

 

A series of caves and waterways beneath Qian Yao Peak fed into a particular spring located in the forested area on the south side of the mountain. Although it was relatively close to the eastern hall and its courtyards, the Xuan Zhu Sect did not rely on it as a water source. Even the Jiao Dong Sect of the past, known for mapping out almost the entirety of the Wudang Mountains, treated this spring with caution and set up both arrays and spells around it. 

Members of the sect traveled to this side of the mountain to harvest medicinal herbs or train under the trees, but only Fei Ting and Liu Zhiying came to visit the spring. Liu Zhiying normally did not have time to wander around, so it was mostly Fei Ting who came here throughout the years.

He dipped his hand in the freezing water and flicked it a few times with his fingers. After repeating the motion, he withdrew his hand and curled his fingers against his knee. As they warmed, he stared at the surface until it began to ripple. A small shadow soon emerged from the depths of the spring, followed by a rounded snout covered in gleaming black scales. A dome-shaped shell about the size of a large cabbage surfaced next, a head and long neck lifting from the water with an inquiring, “Gwah?”

Without hesitation, Fei Ting splayed his fingers out in front of its mouth and held his breath as it sniffed, then bit him. Its grip was terribly strong for such a small creature, so strong that Fei Ting would not be able to take his hand away without tearing some flesh off in the process. Although the pain spread up his arm and burned like a thousand heated needles piercing his skin, he neither flinched nor lashed out.

“This time, it must be much more satisfying,” he said in a low voice. A few droplets of blood fell into the spring, turning it murky red after several minutes had passed. Fei Ting stayed still. “You will need to make it last. You won’t get another meal like this for a while.”

The creature greedily lapped at his fingers. It could eat solids and probably consumed fish to supplement its diet, but Fei Ting had taught it not to rip off chunks of his flesh. Blood could be restored, but a finger, not so much.

“Don’t let it overdo it,” Liu Zhiying warned, his voice traveling from a distance away. Fei Ting twisted around and saw him approaching through the trees. Unlike the main estate’s pathways and courtyards, here he had to carefully pick his way through the undergrowth. However, Liu Zhiying still managed to progress with some amount of grace.

“I know my limits,” Fei Ting said as he returned to watching the turtle-like creature. “We don’t know how long we will be gone.”

Liu Zhiying settled into a neat crouch next to him. He carefully swept his clothes aside to avoid dirtying them too much.

“Has it grown?” Liu Zhiying asked, tilting his head to the side as if to catch the cold breeze sweeping through the clouds. Fei Ting heard nothing aside from the soft sound of water lapping against the shore, but Liu Zhiying’s senses were far more refined than his own.

Fei Ting reached out to stroke the creature’s shell, which was still rather soft due to its age. It had been more or less this size for as long as he had known it.

“No, not that I can tell,” Fei Ting reported. He removed his free hand from its shell and tapped it twice on the head with two of his fingers, signaling it to release him. “Xuanwu, let go.”

Although it hesitated, it opened its mouth wide and let him retract his fingers. It uttered a disgruntled grumble as it slid back into the water until only its head was exposed. A pair of gleaming black eyes gazed, unblinking, at him.

This turtle-like creature was called a xuanwu[2] in the old texts. Once believed to grant fortune and longevity, some were even raised to the status of deities. It was from this species that the venerated god, the Great Tortoise, was derived. Although they no longer walked this earth and faded to the status of mere myths and folktales, this single xuanwu remained on Qian Yao Peak.

Back when the Xuan Zhu Sect was defeated and confined to the highest peak of the Wudang Mountains, this xuanwu’s mother had been sealed alongside them. She lived within the peak’s underwater cave system for hundreds upon thousands of years already and obtained a cultivation level high enough that even a nascent soul stage cultivator would have been hesitant to disturb her waters.

However, all life was destined to fade away sooner or later. Fei Ting did not know how long the baby xuanwu had been alive, but around a hundred years ago, one of their predecessors wrote that the waters of the spring had turned foul and the baby xuanwu crawled out of it to seek shelter in a nearby pond. Since then, it had become a regular, if infrequently seen, inhabitant of Qian Yao Peak.

Fei Ting reached out to rub its head. It closed its eyes, enjoying the attention. In the years since they met, Fei Ting had never left it alone for more than two or three days, depending on how long the physician confined him to bedrest. Although it had endured by itself long before Fei Ting was even born, he could not help but stroke it a little longer.

“Do you want to take it with us?” Liu Zhiying asked in a soft voice that could be construed as sympathy if one didn’t know him as well as Fei Ting did. 

Despite knowing that it was wasted on a man who could not see, Fei Ting cast him a withering look.

“My apologies,” Liu Zhiying said, as if he could really see. He patted Fei Ting on the shoulder. “It would be quite heartless to expose the poor thing to such a dangerous and unforgiving world at such a young age.”

At this, Fei Ting nodded. The baby xuanwu would someday grow to a massive size and accumulate enough power to fend off the strongest of cultivators. Until then, however, it was a tiger without teeth and a dragon without claws.

“It will be fine,” Liu Zhiying said. “Shimei will look after it until she leaves to join us. With her supervision, how can Gui-er and Mo-er do anything but a perfect job?”

A shadow of extreme reluctance passed over Fei Ting’s face.

Liu Zhiying reached over and patted him on the knee. “I asked Physician Zhou to check on it every now and again. He comes here often to tend to his plants, so it’s not a hardship to stop by the spring on the way back.”

Fei Ting’s head lifted. He stared at Liu Zhiying and bit his bottom lip harshly to suppress whatever ugly emotion was blooming in his chest.

“Thank you,” he mumbled, turning away to avoid Liu Zhiying’s vacant gaze.

“Anything for my precious shidi!” Liu Zhiying laughed as he stood with a graceful swing of his robes. He held his hand out and pulled Fei Ting up, still smiling as if he was very pleased over such a simple act. “Come, we should find something to stop the bleeding.”

Fei Ting glanced over his shoulder at the xuanwu bobbing in the water. He shook off Liu Zhiying’s loose grip and bent down to rub its shell. Two thin clouds of blood melted into the water from the wounds on his fingers.

“Behave,” he said. “Don’t bite anyone or else shijie will hit you.”

The xuanwu huffed, sending small bubbles to the surface. Fei Ting took that as an expression of agreement and removed his hand from the water, then watched as it sank back into the depths of the spring, no doubt heading off to break down and refine the spiritual energy from his blood.

Before it completely submerged, Liu Zhiying called out, “Ting-er will miss you very much! Work hard and make him proud the next time we meet!”

“Dashixiong,” Fei Ting protested with a slight frown.

“Come on, get up.” Liu Zhiying shuffled over. Fei Ting hurried to his feet. The last thing he needed was for Liu Zhiying to slip on the mossy earth next to the spring and fall in, intentionally or not. “I came to fetch you for the banquet. Shimei exerted all her strength into planning this celebration for us, so the least we can do is give her some face by showing up on time.”

“I heard her scolding Huaiyue,” Fei Ting said. “She beat him with the broom again.”

“He was stealing food,” Liu Zhiying said without sympathy or hesitation. They started walking, Fei Ting taking a few extra strides to catch up to Liu Zhiying and grab his forearm. He could find his way out on his own, but it was quicker if Fei Ting helped him along.

Although Liu Zhiying had changed the way punishments were meted out, stealing was the only offense for which he still showed no leniency. According to sect rules, some degree of harmony and civility must be maintained between its members. Even if they were a demonic sect, they were cultivators before they were lawless bandits.

However, no one truly blamed Fei Huaiyue. For a child whose parents never made enough to feed the entire family, a child who had been sold to a stranger for half a year’s worth of rice for a single person, it would be strange if he did not steal food on occasion. Still, this was not an excuse worthy of escaping punishment, making this Fei Huaiyue’s third time in just as many weeks to be beaten for trying to make off with the day’s dinner.

Fei Ting had misbehaved in the past, but rarely had he ever stolen food. He could not say that he understood why Fei Huaiyue was not dissuaded by the punishments, only that he hoped the kid learned before their eldest shijie lost her patience.

As they approached the main compound through the eastern wing, Fei Ting released Liu Zhiying, who found his way to the veranda with ease. The long, open structure hugged the cliffs as it led to the Mulberry Pavilion, a broad area that overlooked the steep drop down the mountainside into a sea of clouds. They normally used it for morning readings and training, but it was the perfect space for a gathering.

“It’s fine,” Liu Zhiying said suddenly. “He will learn. They all do, some later than others.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Fei Ting said with a restrained huff. “It’s not as if there’s a choice.”

For some reason, Liu Zhiying found this comical and laughed, his breaths barely enough to disturb the air in front of him.

“Let’s hurry,” Liu Zhiying suggested. “Or shimei will not be so forgiving.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Xuan Zhu Sect was not a lively place. Fewer than fifteen people lived on Qian Yao Peak, the majority of them adults focused on cultivating or teaching the children to sit still for recitations. Five were elders who never left secluded cultivation for anything short of the heavens falling and earth splitting in two. Furthermore, Liu Zhiying was inconsistent about reinforcing the rule of “disturbing others with unnecessarily boisterous activity is forbidden”. As a result, most of the Xuan Zhu Sect simply chose to remain in Liu Zhiying’s good graces and did not indulge in noisy activities. 

Fei Ting clicked his tongue in disapproval when he heard shrieks of laughter from the Mulberry Pavilion. There were only two young children left on Qian Yao Peak. That they could make so much noise was a wonder.

“It’s a celebration today. Let them have some fun,” Liu Zhiying said, casting a smile over his shoulder. Fei Ting tracked his movements to make sure he didn’t lose his balance, but largely tried to ignore him. “It seems like shimei outdid herself again.”

Heavy, fragrant scents traveled on the cold air wrapped around the mountainside. The uneven hallway and stairs embedded in the cliff began to rise sharply to the Mulberry Pavilion’s entrance just ahead. Someone began to play an instrument, but the sound was obscured by the sounds of Fei Fei and Fei Huanyue chasing and screeching at each other. 

“Mo-er has improved a bit,” Liu Zhiying commented faintly as they reached the top of the stairs. Fei Ting stepped up behind him onto the pavilion and bit back a groan upon seeing the area drenched in red decorations from corner to corner and currently a scene of utter chaos. Liu Zhiying heard his attempt at silencing himself and tilted his head back. “What is it, Ting-er?”

“An offense to heaven. It’s fortunate that dashixiong cannot see. If you could, it would make your eyes bleed,” Fei Ting mumbled as he walked around Liu Zhiying, his utterly cold and distant bearing intensifying as he stared at the children running across the pavilion. As soon as they noticed his and Liu Zhiying’s arrival, their bright expressions darkened. Fei Ting stood firm until they walked obediently over, no longer making a ruckus that could be heard all the way down the mountain.

The children greeted each of them in turn with sullen faces. Liu Zhiying listened for a moment before crouching down and granting them a bright smile. He held his hands out, palms up. Fei Fei immediately grasped his fingers while Fei Huaiyue hesitated. In the end, he needed only a single glance at Fei Ting to likewise offer his hand.

It wasn’t as if Fei Ting didn’t understand. Liu Zhiying’s thin body was deceptively unimposing, his elegance lending no credence to his true strength that was always concealed by a dignified, if somewhat cunning, disposition. However, one only needed to experience that strength once to be wary for life. It was a grip that felt as if it could grind bone to dust.

“Have you two been having fun?” Liu Zhiying asked with a warm smile. They nodded. “Mo-er is playing the guqin now. He has improved quite a bit, why don’t we have a listen?”

“Yeah. Show your shixiong some face,” Fei Ting added, keeping his eyes on them. They would definitely obey now, no matter how reluctant they were to sit and listen to music, but one could not be too careful.

Liu Zhiying sent them off with a push on their shoulders. They scampered away as soon as they could.

“Ting-er, tell me what you see,” Liu Zhiying said, turning in Fei Ting’s general direction.

“It looks like a wedding,” Fei Ting said sharply. He spotted Yu Shaming nearby with a platter of food and called out in a slightly irritated tone, “Shijie, why does it look like a wedding?” 

“I can’t say I’ve ‘seen’ a wedding before,” Liu Zhiying hummed.

“Red is a happy color, isn’t it better to send you off with cheer instead of sadness?” Yu Shaming called out, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips despite her attempt to sound serious. “The food is coming out now, go find a seat.”

“You are missing the point!” Fei Ting said, eyes narrowing just as Liu Zhiying gripped his forearm and dragged him away. He didn’t even know where he was going since shijie had rearranged the furniture. Fei Ting suppressed a roll of his eyes and guided them over to one of the low tables on the far side of the pavilion where they could feel the strong winds bending around the mountainside. He huffed. “I’ll get us food.”

“What a considerate shidi I have!” Liu Zhiying laughed in exaggerated delight. He waved him off. “Alright, hurry back. You haven't finished yet.”

“It looks like a wedding,” Fei Ting repeated. It was too lavish, everything draped in the most festive decorations one could imagine. “Red lanterns, red banners, even red lacquerware…” 

“Ting-er, just come sit and take your time,” Liu Zhiying said, beckoning Fei Ting over.

Fei Huaiyue trotted up to Liu Zhiying’s side, his expression quite earnest. “Zhiying-gege, I’ll explain it to you!”

“You?” Fei Ting refrained from scoffing, but his lips did curl into a slight sneer as he crossed his arms and assessed the nine-year-old with a frown. “Do you even know half the foods on the table?” 

Their dashixiong said nothing as if he had suddenly lost his hearing in addition to his sight. Fei Ting glanced at his neutral expression and sighed. Liu Zhiying could settle any argument through force of will alone primarily because no one wanted to endure the consequences of opposing him, but when he decided not to mediate, it was truly quite annoying.

“I know them!” Fei Huaiyue insisted, pointing at the table.

“You know them? That’s because you were stealing food from the kitchen this morning, isn’t it, Huaiyue!” Fei Gui called out from halfway across the pavilion. He was seated near the guqin, which Fei Mo was playing with a look of utter concentration. 

After staring at Fei Mo’s fingers slide up and down the strings for a few notes, Fei Ting realized that he could barely identify the tune. He glanced down at Liu Zhiying.

“Like you know!” Fei Huaiyue said back with a small growl. 

Fei Ting sighed and shook his head. “Will you–”

“Fellow disciples shouldn’t quarrel!” Yu Shaming’s voice, warm and sharp like a heated blade, called out. She placed the last dish, a large platter of roasted pig, on the table and turned around with a very strained expression. Her clothes, to Fei Ting’s tentative relief, were not red but her usual light pink and white. “You shouldn’t force dashixiong’s hand, either. Do you want to put him an awkward situation, unable to choose either one of you?”

Fei Huaiyue began to stumble over his words in his hurry to correct himself.

“Shijie, you outdid yourself,” Fei Ting interjected. 

Yu Shaming cast him a particularly wry look as he motioned to the eight platters laid out on the table behind her.

“If it’s for dashixiong and Ting-shidi, then it’s no trouble at all. Eat all you want, this is all for you after all.” 

Fei Ting turned back around to address Liu Zhiying, who was awfully quiet during the entire exchange.

“What did shimei make?” Liu Zhiying asked as he rose to his feet and drifted over to the table. Fei Ting stayed by his side as they walked around the kids who were scrambling to see the elaborate spread of dishes. They had probably never seen anything so lavish in their entire lives.

Fei Ting stared at the eight dishes. There was no mistaking it. From the roasted pig to the fish and longevity noodles at the very end, it was clear that Yu Shaming was having a great deal of fun on their behalf.

“Shijie made dashixiong’s favorite: eight treasure porridge. Do you want that first?”

“Shimei’s eight treasure porridge?” Liu Zhiying said with a smile. He nodded, the picture of elegance as he inclined his head. “If I could bother shidi to get us some…”

“It’s no bother,” Fei Ting said.

When he returned, Yu Shaming was sitting across from Liu Zhiying. She poured each of them a cup of plum wine, then dragged a table over for Fei Ting to sit.

“Ting-shidi, you’re indeed so diligent!” Yu Shaming laughed. Fei Ting wondered how many cups of plum wine she snuck while she was cooking for her cheeks to have turned almost as red as the decorations. He took only a small sip for himself. “Ah, no, no, no! You should eat first! It’s bad for your health. Right, Liu-shixiong?”

Liu Zhiying nodded in deep understanding before reaching for a bowl of soup. He stirred the contents and lifted a spoonful, which he promptly shoved at Fei Ting’s lips.

Fei Ting drew back with a slight frown.

“Dashixiong, that isn’t necessary,” Fei Ting said as he pushed Liu Zhiying’s arm back.

“Not necessary? Liu-shixiong, you have a lot of work in your future just in making sure that Ting-shidi watches his health. Wasn’t he ill just a few weeks ago? If Ting-er’s condition worsens because of my own selfish request, how could I still call myself his shijie?” Yu Shaming shook her head and sighed loud enough for the kids on the other side of the pavilion to hear.

Fei Ting ignored the rest of their conversation. Their worries were not unfounded, however. Fei Ting never did well around the change of seasons, always ending up bedridden for a few days with barely any energy to move. Physician Zhou claimed it was because he didn’t eat enough and spent all of his energy cultivating while leaving his body nothing. If he learned to practice inedia it would be fine, but even dashixiong was not yet at that level.

Fei Ting lowered himself to the floor and took up a spoon, then glanced at Liu Zhiying. “If dashixiong wishes it.”

“It’s not good to be so willful, Ting-shidi,” Yu Shaming teased. “What will you do if you lose face for dashixiong in the future? We’re fellow disciples here so all is forgiven, but the outside world isn’t so lenient, you know?”

Fei Ting gripped the spoon almost tight enough to snap it. He began to eat without another word, ignoring how the porridge burned his throat going down.

Liu Zhiying laughed at his expense. Only once Fei Ting had finished half of the bowl did he begin to eat as well.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning was as cold as the last, the dim morning sun hiding behind an ocean of clouds and fog. A series of warbling wails pierced through the tranquility, startling a flock of sparrows resting on the willow trees hanging over the entrance to the sect.

“Xiao-Fei,” Liu Zhiying said in a low but unyielding tone. He gently pried her tiny hands off his robes. “We have to go help your shijie, but we will return as soon as we can.” 

“But you don’t have to go _today_!” Fei Fei whimpered. Behind her, Fei Huaiyue was rolling his eyes despite his tightly crossed arms and face of utter concentration.

“If they don’t go today, when will they go?” Fei Gui snapped. He walked over with the satchel that the others had prepared for their journey, mostly filled with spare clothes, food, and a few cultivation tools for emergencies. “Here, Ting-shixiong.” 

Fei Ting nodded and took the straps, frowning at the weight. How much did they think was necessary for this trip? It would only take two days to descend the mountain without expending any qi, certainly not long enough to justify the amount of food and talismans they must have shoved inside. Casting his gaze downwards briefly, Fei Ting tossed it over his shoulder and breathed a silent sigh.

When he looked back up, he stared at the crags climbing to the heavens. A long time ago, he probably once thought that this mountain really did reach that far into the sky.

“Let’s go, dashixiong,” Fei Ting said after one last look at the place he had called home for over half his life.

Everyone looked at him, from Fei Mo’s indifferent eyes and pleasant smile to Fei Fei’s tears and quivering lips.

“Listen to your fifth shixiong!” Liu Zhiying said as he squeezed out of Fei Fei’s grip and held her at a distance. Fei Mo immediately came to grab her shoulders, preventing her from following.

“Behave,” Fei Ting warned.

Before they managed to start on the uneven path winding down the mountain, Yu Shaming separated from the others, her usual light-hearted cheer gone. Even the colors she wore today were subdued.

“Shijie,” Fei Ting greeted. “Do you need something before we go?”

“This day…” Yu Shaming paused, her expression somewhat distant like she was staring at something distasteful. “I didn’t think it would ever come, to tell the truth. Even when I first came here.”

Liu Zhiying’s smile faded, but it also became more genuine. He reached for her hands, which she placed into his halfway.

“Shimei,” he said, voice suddenly turning very cold, almost as flat as Fei Ting’s. “We will certainly do whatever it takes to help shimei achieve her goals. After all, would you not do the same and more for any of us?”

Yu Shaming took a deep breath. She was older than dashixiong despite being Sect Leader Wu’s second disciple, but it was dashixiong who had spent the most time with the leader and the one who understood the heart of this sect more than any other.

“Yes,” she replied with a firm nod. “Of course. Never mind what I just said. Watch out for each other on your journey. It has been years since either of you left Qian Yao Peak – the world you know has changed.”

Liu Zhiying’s faint smile returned.

“Having shimei’s blessings sets the heart at ease,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah, you and your flattery,” Yu Shaming laughed. “I’ll make sure to look after those brats, so just focus on your tasks.”

Fei Ting placed his hand at Liu Zhiying’s back, brushing against him to let him know that he could walk forward.

“I’m sure they’re secretly relieved to have us gone!” Liu Zhiying’s laughter was barely loud enough for Fei Ting to hear. “You always loom over their shoulders, waiting for them to do something wrong.”

“You did the same, dashixiong.” Fei Ting shook his head as they slowly left the Xuan Zhu Sect behind them in the clouds. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. From Li Bai's "Seeing Meng Haoran for Guangling at Yellow Crane Tower". [return]
> 
> 2\. The Great Tortoise is derived from the [Black Tortoise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tortoise), or Xuanwu, one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It's usually depicted as a turtle + snake, but here it is a turtle-snake. You can thank ExtraPenguin for convincing me it was a good idea to have one in the story (Isn't it cute?? Fei Ting sure thinks so!). [return]


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